AMSU to observe 37th Students’ Emancipation Day on May 28

All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU) will observe the 37th Students’ Emancipation Day on May 28, 2026, in honour of student martyrs Haobijam Ibohal, Urikhinbam Khelen, and Kumam Sarat, who sacrificed their lives during student movements in Manipur.
In a statement issued by AMSU Information and Publicity Secretary Serto Rengneier Kom, it was stated that following Manipur’s attainment of full-fledged statehood in 1972, students launched movements demanding improvement in the education system and fulfillment of educational requirements. The agitation intensified in 1973 after the government allegedly ignored the students’ demands, during which student leader Haobijam Ibohal of Moirang College was killed on September 30.
The statement further recalled that students of Moirang Multipurpose Higher Secondary School launched a fast unto death agitation from the midnight of May 26, 1979. During the movement, five student leaders were arrested, triggering widespread protests across the state demanding their release.
AMSU also alleged that during the agitation, students Urikhinbam Khelen and Kumam Sarat were burnt inside the lock-up of Moirang Police Station and later succumbed to their injuries.
The organisation stated that Students’ Emancipation Day has been observed annually since May 28, 1990, with tribute programmes held at the students’ memorial complex inside Moirang Multipurpose Higher Secondary School.
This year’s observance will include floral tributes at the memorial complex followed by a public gathering at Moirang Pangsang Community Hall. AMSU appealed to students and the public to participate in the commemorative programme.